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The Crisis Papers
Bernard Weiner and Ernest Partridge are co-editors of www.crisispapers.org
March 21, 2006
Anti-Semitism and the "New Jews"
Anti-Semitism on the Left is generally not spoken about, but it's
real and appears to be growing. For those so inclined, it's easy
to slip from denunciations' of Israeli policy - many on the Left,
including yours truly, are quite vocal on occasion in opposing Israeli
policies and actions - to out-and-out anti-Semitism. By Bernard
Weiner
March 14, 2006
The Right and the Left, in a Nutshell
Those of us who are at middle age or beyond have lived through a
revolution in political and economic theory and practice, a revolution
so profound that few of us can even begin to appreciate its significance,
much less its peril. By Ernest Partridge
The Middle East Muddle: Is Peace Still
Possible?
If a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine can be obtained,
and implemented properly with great tact and sensitivity, peace
and prosperity for the Middle East may eventually be achieved. By
Bernard Weiner
March 7, 2006
Conservatives are Jumping Ship: Bush
is Going Down
I'm more and more convinced that it will be Republicans, many of
them of the true conservative and realist kind, who effectively
will do in the Bush Administration. By Bernard Weiner
An Appearance of Guilt
Perhaps this new electronic voting technology is as honest and reliable
as the private election industry and the winning candidates tell
us it is. However, they simply do not behave as if this were the
case. By Ernest Partridge
February 21, 2006
Perception is Reality
Predictions in politics rest upon two presuppositions: (a) that
present trends will continue into the future, and (b) that there
will be no totally unexpected "surprises." Both assumptions
are rarely true and are refuted both by common sense and by the
lessons of history. By Ernest Partridge
Slicing Away Liberty: 1933 Germany,
2006 America
What happened in Germany in the 1920s and '30s can teach us
much about how a nation in a few years can lose its freedom in incremental
slices. By Bernard Weiner
February 14, 2006
Pushing Them Off the Precipice of Power
By their unconscionable actions and thorough-going incompetence,
Bush & Co. find themselves perched ever so perilously on a political
cliff; our job is to build enough united oppositional force to help
them over the edge. By Bernard Weiner
February 7, 2006
The View From Abroad
Here are three impressions that are both
vivid in my memory, and relevant to our current political circumstances,
from my travels abroad. By Ernest Partridge
Bush Takes Heat on Oprah's Couch
If only Oprah could be as tough on George W. Bush as she was on
James Frey... By Bernard Weiner
January 24, 2005
Weaving the "Why?" Strands:
The Bushevik Puzzle
Let's try to puzzle out together some recent political events. The
unifying thread will appear; it always does because it's always
there, even if sometimes out of conscious reach. By Bernard Weiner
Evidence? We Don't Want Your Stinkin'
Evidence!
Force the question of election fraud and demand an answer, and the
most likely response will be a string of ad hominem insults. We've
heard them, many times over. By Ernest Partridge
January 17, 2005
"Shallow Throat": Do Dems
Have a Death Wish?
"Shallow Throat" joined me at a mostly-deserted park in
Virginia, red-faced and shaking with anger. I didn't even have to
ask a question before the rage exploded out... By Bernard Weiner
The Gulliberal Problem
We've got trouble enough from our adversaries – but God save
us from our friends! By Ernest Partridge
January 10, 2005
The Erosion of Trust
We Americans have thrived in an atmosphere of mutual trust. But
some of the foundation of that civic trust has been seriously eroded,
and unless we repair and restore it, that trust may be lost forever.
By Ernest Partridge
Congress Disbands, Cites Irrelevancy
President George W. Bush today applauded the decision by the House
of Representatives and the Senate to disband. Satire by Bernard
Weiner
December 20, 2005
The Would-Be Dictator
Bush violated the law by ordering the National Security Agency to
engage in domestic spying. So I have a question for those who voted
for him: NOW do you get it? By Bernard Weiner
As the Year Ends, Some Silver Linings
We the People of the United States, especially those of us who cherish
our freedom and our political institutions, have endured a terrible
year. And yet, for all this, the republic survives, albeit in critical
condition. By Ernest Partridge
December 13, 2005
Those Secret Torture Prisons: A Modest
Proposal
Here's a cool way to fight terrorism, express your patriotism, enjoy
some aerobic fun and games, and contribute to a wonderful demonstration
of how American incentives work for the good of all. By Bernard
Weiner
Dear Howard Dean: Why Bother?
If nothing is done to end the privatization of our elections and
to introduce reliable verification, the Republicans will "win" again
in November 2006 and then in 2008. By Ernest Partridge
December 6, 2005
It's Time to Play Beat-The-Bully
We all know this from our schooldays and our workplaces: the thing
about bullies, especially the really cocky ones, is that they're
often very insecure. Once you organize opposition and indicate you're
not afraid of them anymore, they're lost in the world of ordinary
mortals. By Bernard Weiner
November 29, 2005
A Moral Philosophy For Progressives
Moral absolutism, whether religious or secular, is worse than undesirable,
it is incoherent and unworkable. Here is a sketch of a progressive
alternative: a relativistic ethic that affirms moral values, promotes
virtue and justice, and is available to all but the most dogmatic
of religions as well as to secularists. By Ernest Partridge
Santa Baby, Make These Wishes Come
True
The imploding Bush Administration - beset by scandals, corruption,
incompetence, arrogance, bullyboys, whistleblowers, ignorance -
is doing its part to bring itself down. But the rest of us have
roles to play as well. By Bernard Weiner
November 22, 2005
Extreme Bush: The Good, The Bad, And
The Ugly
The Bush agenda is in jeopardy and the once-tight GOP organization
is in tatters, with corruption and incompetence and wrongheadedness
everywhere. By Bernard Weiner
Through A Glass, Darkly
The regressive right, having enlisted the support of fundamentalist
religion, finds that this religious faction, hostile to science,
now demands and receives unprecedented influence in public policy.
By Ernest Partridge
November 15, 2005
Solving the Media Puzzle: A Day in
the Life
Most of the time government scandals involve either money or sex.
But the current scandals of our federal government, as evidenced
by just one day's worth of news stories, are much more serious.
By Bernard Weiner
November 8, 2005
The Sleeping Giant Stirs
"The Americans will always do the right thing," Winston
Churchill once remarked, "after they've exhausted all the alternatives."
The American public may be running out of alternatives. If so, the
Bush Administration and the Republicans have reason to be very worried.
By Ernest Partridge
"Shallow Throat:" Ratchet
It Up, Take 'Em Down
"The wheels are coming off the bus," a giddy Shallow Throat said.
"Now that the Bush Administration is imploding from within, it's
time for those of us on the outside to set more political charges."
By Bernard Weiner
November 1, 2005
Bird Flu is Real - And You're On Your
Own
We need research and development, medications and vaccines, hospital
beds and emergency equipment for pandemic victims. Bush's plan?
Send in the troops! By Ernest Partridge
Inside Scooter's Diary: Come and Get
Me, Coppers!
Dear Diary: Well, I'm in it now. Somehow, the way I thought it would
happen went badly off-track. Satire by Bernard Weiner
October 25, 2005
Patrick Fitzgerald's "Dear Diary..."
Dear Diary: This is like shooting fish in a barrel. Of course, I'd
heard about the incompetence of this White House crew - and the
arrogance that made them so sloppy in covering their tracks - but
despite their lies and amateurish attempts to conceal their involvement,
their fingerprints are all over the place. Satire by Bernard Weiner
October 18, 2005
The Illusion of Normality
Never in the 229 years of United States history has this government
"of, by and for the people" been in greater peril. By
Ernest Partridge
"Good Night, and Good Luck"
- Joe McCarthy Rides Again
An arrogant, bullying Administration is questioning the patriotism
of any who oppose them, much as Senator Joe McCarthy did with anyone
who raised questions about his methods of hunting down suspected
communists. By Bernard Weiner
October 11, 2005
Before the Plamegate Deluge: Honoring
Our Journalistic Heroes
I'd like today to recognize the heroes of our battle, who, ultimately,
will help lead our country to a restoration of Constitutional rule
and the banishment of the worst of the Bush & Co. miscreants either
to political exile or, for a good many of the worst participants,
to jail. By Bernard Weiner
October 4, 2005
While the Iron is Hot
The Republican Party and the Bush Administration are reeling, enmeshed
in corruption and failure, and the ideology of the regressive right
is in retreat. The iron is hot � now is the time to strike. By Ernest
Partridge
September 27, 2005
"Suppose...": Arguments for
an Impeachment Resolution
The Bush Administration has been caught in the spotlight for the
past four-and-a-half years. Scandal after scandal, corruption after
corruption, high crimes and misdemeanors - and yet, nothing happens.
By Bernard Weiner
September 20, 2005
Who Lost New Orleans?
Any politician who believes that states and regions are autonomous
and economically detachable and thus not the responsibility of the
federal government is unqualified for national leadership. To the
great misfortune of the United States, such individuals are nonetheless
in political control of the federal government. By Ernest Partridge
September 13, 2005
GOP Heavies Work the "O.J. Dodge"
The following transcript of a conversation among political leaders
-- one imagines the room was bugged -- was placed through our mail
slot yesterday by a group calling itself the Bush-Liberation Front.
We can't verify the authenticity of the organization or the document,
but, in a curious sort of way, it passes the smell test. See what
you think.
September 6, 2005
Randville, Rawlsburg, and New Orleans
In his second debate with Al Gore, candidate George Bush said "I
think you can spend your money more wisely than the federal government
can." You think? Ask the survivors of the New Orleans Super
Dome and convention center. By Ernest Partridge
To Those Who Voted for Bush: Do You
Get It Now?
For the past four years, progressives and moderate-conservatives
have been pointing out how incompetent this administration is. Many
Bush Republicans accused us of making up such accusations for purely
political reasons. Now you yourself can see what we have seen: these
guys are in way over their heads and haven't got a clue. By Bernard
Weiner
August 30, 2005
Twenty Things We Now Know Four Years
After 9/11
In a few days, it will be four years since the awful events symbolized
by the date "9/11." Time for our annual list of what we've
learned from that tragedy and what followed from it: twenty things
we now know based mainly on documented evidence found in the Bush-friendly
mainstream media. By Bernard Weiner
August 23, 2005
The Bombs in the Basement
The Bush regime has reason to be nervous. For its continuing success
depends totally on the public's inattention to, apathy toward, and
even ignorance of several potentially explosive issues which, if
brought to light, publicized, investigated, and then criminally
prosecuted, could demolish the House of Bush and the Republicans.
By Ernest Partridge
August 16, 2005
A Cancerous Tumor in the Body Politic:
Time for Surgery
Today there is a cancer growing in the body of the American polity.
Its aggressive nature has forced its way into the social and political
fabric of our lives, and is destroying both from within. The remedy
of tumor removal via the surgery of impeachment could begin the
process of healing. But this cancer is notoriously aggressive in
maintaining itself in the face of assaults. By Bernard Weiner
August 9, 2005
Prices and Values
Why does the administration of George W. Bush, not to mention many
economists and policy analysts, so eager to apply monetary prices
to values? And why is cost-based analysis "incapable of making meaningful
choices about things that matter to most people?" By Ernest Partridge
August 2, 2005
U.S Leaving Iraq? It's Still the Politics,
Stupid
As we've learned over the past four-plus years, no matter what the
spin justifications employed by Bush & Co. spokesmen - terrorism,
national security, freedom on the march - it's usually the politics,
stupid. By Bernard Weiner
July 26, 2005
Inside Rove's Diary: How Do I Get Out
of This One?
Dear Diary: Oh shit! It's been one baaaaaaad week. By Bernard Weiner
The GOP is Certain to Win in 2006,
Unless...
I have frequently been accused of being hopelessly optimistic. Perhaps
so: that's what keeps me going. But now, for those who thrive on
gloom and doom � it's your turn. By Ernest Partridge
July 19, 2005
Rove/Plame Scandal Leads To Greater
White House Horrors?
At long last, Plamegate - the scandal surrounding the naming of
covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson by two "senior administration
officials" - has exploded out of the D.C. beltway to become
a major national news story. By Bernard Weiner
The Wayward Media
Three mini-essays tied together with a common theme: the media.
By Ernest Partridge
July 12, 2005
A Powerful Man Glimpses His Demons
"We're under confidentiality here, right? You can't ever tell anyone
what I say to you, doctor/patient relationship, yes?" By Bernard
Weiner
July 6, 2005
Hinges of History
History teaches us that the course of human events has many surprises,
born of random chance and simple luck. History's winners are those
who are alert, flexible and creative in the face of these surprises.
And that fact should lend comfort to embattled progressives today.
By Ernest Partridge
Political Pot Pourri
Coming out of the 4th of July weekend, a half-dozen thoughts worked
their way to the forefront, from Rove to impeachment to the Supreme
Court. By Bernard Weiner
June 28, 2005
15 Things Learned About Bush And Co.:
An Impeachment List
The American people - especially moderate Republicans, appalled
at how their once-proud party has been hijacked by extremists -
are waking up, shaking off their real and manufactured fear. As
recent polls indicate, the American citizenry is voicing a demonstrable
lack of faith in, and support for, Bush and his cronies, and their
disastrous, reckless policies. By Bernard Weiner
June 21, 2005
No Time For Despair
The present political situation in the United States is not hopeless.
Several recent developments suggest that our cause, far from being
impossible, has in fact gained strength as opportunities now arise.
By Ernest Partridge
"Shallow Throat": Wounded,
Cornered Animals Are Dangerous
After Mark Felt unmasked himself as "Deep Throat," I immediately
tried to contact our contemporary GOP mole, "Shallow Throat." By
Bernard Weiner
June 14, 2005
The Downing Street Memos: Building
a New Movement
We must radically alter the way we confront the Bush Administration.
They have sown fear into the body politic, including the Left and
moderate middle; they have encouraged division and factional in-fighting
among progressives; they have marginalized and smeared mass-media.
By Bernard Weiner
June 7, 2005
The Fall of the House of Bush
It is inevitable: sooner or later the Bush regime will fall. Perhaps
next month; perhaps after the end of the Jeb Bush administration
in 2016. The essential question is whether it will take down the
rest of us with it. By Ernest Partridge
Karl Rove's Diary: Escaping the Lame
Duck Trap
Dear Diary, things certainly aren't going the way I planned
them. I thought the second term would be pretty much like the first,
only more-so. By Bernard Weiner
June 1, 2005
GOP Swept from Power in 2006; Impeachment
Looms
June 1, 2005 · Associated Press, Nov. 8, 2006: The
Democrats didn't waste any time after their landslide victory in
the November midterm election that put them in charge, with huge
margins in both the House and Senate. Satire by Bernard Weiner and
Ernest Partridge
May 24, 2005
What a Friend We Have in Jesus!
There is only one voice that might speak to the fundamentalists
and persuade them to re-evaluate their ethical norms, their moral
behavior, and their political agenda. That is the voice of Jesus
of Nazareth. By Ernest Partridge
May 17, 2005
Current Events for Dummies
Politics is so confusing these days, with all sorts of charges,
scandals, distortions, nominees, wars, distractions. To help you
out of this muddle, lets turn to my ever-popular guide, Current
Events for Dummies. By Bernard Weiner
May 10, 2005
Last Chance for Civilization
Humanity is facing a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. The
final depletion of petroleum reserves is likely within this century.
Without this energy source, and with no alternative sources in place,
the Earth could probably not support half of the present population
of six billion souls. By Ernest Partridge
May 3, 2005
To The Troops
I speak to you as someone who, like you, loves our country, and
who is very worried about both your continued survival and about
the effects on you from what you're being asked to do in Iraq. By
Bernard Weiner
April 26, 2005
The 2006 Election is Happening Right
Now
It's crunch time, folks. Karl Rove, seeing the window is not waiting
for the midterm election run-up in 2006. He's going for it all now.
By Bernard Weiner
What Can We the People Do About Election
Fraud?
Electoral integrity is arguably the most important political issue
to face the American people since the founding of our democracy,
as it raises the question of whether, in fact, we still have
a democracy. By Ernest Partridge
April 19, 2005
From the Sahara to Germany: What Does
"Progress" Mean?
The disparity between rich and poor countries reflects a social/political
phenomenon with which I've become all too familiar in my trips abroad
in the past several years. Is there a way to leapfrog over the worst
of industrial/technological development - the pollution, the corruption,
the social cruelty - without having to repeat the mistakes and unfolding
history of the developed world? By Bernard Weiner
April 12, 2005
Means, Motive, Opportunity
In the 2004 election, the Bush team and the Republican party had
a treasure trove of means and opportunity dropped in their laps.
Thanks to the secret codes and back-door access to the voting machines
they could follow through on their motive without fear of detection.
By Ernest Partridge
April 5, 2005
Why Should I Pay For Someone Else's
Education?
Is it unfair to require those who have no children in the public
schools to pay school taxes? The libertarian-right apparently believes
that it is. By Ernest Partridge
March 29, 2005
Rumsfeld Gets Grilled at Truth &
Reconciliation Hearing
Several years after the Bush Administration left office, criminal
indictments were about to be unsealed. Named individuals had one
chance: to appear before the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
By Bernard Weiner
March 22, 2005
For Tax Refuseniks: A Modest Proposal
Here is my proposal: make tax payment voluntary. If Grover Norquist
and all other like-minded individuals find tax-paying so onerous,
then they may be excused. By Ernest Partridge
Rove's Tricky Decoy Dump
Karl Rove's political team operates like this: they choose a select
number of objectives they really care about, go all out for them
- often in secret - and the rest of their high-profile program is
little more than decoy chaff. By Bernard Weiner
March 15, 2005
Bush to U.N.: Screw You!
Since the bullyboy approach worked for them so successfully during
their first term, the Bush Administration are trying again. But
something is different this time; there now is an odor of reckless
haste emanating from the White House. The result is that they are
making mistakes, big time. By Bernard Weiner
A Master Morality
George Bush has said that he wants to run the government like a
business. He has achieved his objective, for although Bush was allegedly
elected as President of all the people, Bush, Inc. is in effect
less a government than it is a vast holding company. By Ernest Partridge
March 8, 2005
Right vs. Left: The Elements
We are sharply divided into two hostile political factions. Let
a stranger utter just a couple of sentences of political opinion,
and you will know which faction he belongs to. By Ernest Partridge
Probing for Answers to What Ails Us:
The Incident
The last thing I remember before The Incident was driving by a huge
hayfield on a rural Georgia road. Suddenly, there were bright lights
above me. Fiction by Bernard Weiner
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